burn
by magic.ruby17
Summary: The strongest of hearts can be crushed and hers had been by the one whom she had loved most, she abandoned her world to start anew but sometimes the one who left you broken hasn't had enough and thirsts for more.Will his beliefs and prejudices lead to their doom?
1. Chapter 1

They had always hated each other with passion. she had never thought that she would ever dislike someone so much. She could still remember the first time when they had spoken and he had wrinkled his nose in distaste,that was the day when she had decided she would show him that she was better than anyone he knew and much better than him. Her hate for him burned with the fuel he added every time he looked at her, everytime he tried to put her down she would burn more, she would light up, she would grow.

He always found her to be something beneath him, someone to look down to, someone to show that they were filth and weren't worth the dust on his shoe. He hated her with passion that consumed him, he felt pleasure whenever he could make her cry, her tears were like heroin to him, he was addicted to her despair. It wasn't fair that she could have magic, the magic that belonged to his age old community, his people, she was a contamination, an abomination. Every time she was praised for the things she did he would feel his hate come to life, the flicker turn to flame. He wanted to show her her place, he wanted to burn her into ash and cast her away. He wanted her to know what mudbloods were worth, he wanted her gone forever for she was a symbol of change, of beauty of equality,she was a symbol of everything he was against.

He met her that day, late at night when everyone were already in the comforts of their homes, she was there silently working her way to changing the world, her back turned to him, filling out some paperworks for the next court session, her various bills that she was trying to pass. He purposely bumped into her, after maybe four years. She looked flustered, her hair in disarray. It was she who apologized being the good girl that she was, he just smiled, gave her a taste of his other side, inwardly smirking when he caught the reaction on her face, she was confused.

She liked the way he smiled, she hadn't spoken to him in years, it had been ages after the war and this was the first time that he had actually acknowledged her,maybe the change had come, maybe he now saw her for who she was, maybe her hard work had paid off, after all the light side had won. She forgave him at that moment because it was who she was. She wouldn't keep a grudge , after all this was life and it was all about moving on and letting go. She promised herself that she would return the smile the next time she saw him.

He was finally getting what he wanted,she had smiled at him and then lowered her eyes and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. she was shy, she had never experienced this and it was making her nervous, she had never seen Draco Malfoy be charming towards her, this gave him the thrill, the thrill of deceiving her,the thrill of planning to hurt it, it was like a dam of ecstasy which was waiting to overflow, he couldn't wait for the day he would finally throw her to the dogs,show her how this society worked, show her her place.

It had been years since she had known bad, she had forgotten that evil still lurked in the deepest corners of a persons heart, she had forgotten that he was a person incapable of love,she had forgotten who he was, all she remembered was a ignorant and misinformed boy,she now saw was a charming man who showered her with attention, asked her out on dates and when she politely refused would pester her with letters until she would finally comply,all she saw was a guy who wanted her and all she felt was more than willing. It thrilled her that the fiery hate she felt for him was just a warm glow of affection now, maybe it was love for after their fourth date, he had kissed her and she had closed her eyes and felt the butterflies dance ,she felt her heart skip a beat, she felt herself drowning yet being able to breathe. Yes she was in love, for love was illogical, love ignored all flaws, love ignored the world and love was the fuel that burned her soul now,she never wanted to give it up.

It was the seventh month after the day they had met and she was sleeping in his bed, for someone who was beneath him she had played that role well. It was all that she was good for he felt, he woke her up and used her till his heart content, she had kissed his nose and apparated away that day. she had a smile on her face and he was about to wipe it away.

A week after the day she had given herself to him, her most precious self that she had saved, saved for the one she loved,had tossed her aside like rag. she couldn't believe it when she read, his engagement announcement to another slag. Her tears poured dousing the flames, the flames of love that now had burned her soul away. All he said was he didn't care, for she was just another one of his dares. He was to be married to the woman he loved and she was nothing to him and he didn't give a fuck.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, walked away leaving behind the love she had, all that she now had was a token of pain, his words and his rejection. she left him alone to celebrate his engagement,his friends all smiling and laughing around him thinking she got what she deserved.

She walked away from the life that she had made for he had shown her what this society could be capable of, she bid goodbye to all her friends, claiming a change of scene was all that she needed, no one knew of her ache.

Three years from that day she found herself meeting a new man, he who was a new teacher in the school near her house. he smiled at her and picked up her bag, helped her carry her boy to his seat in her car. she thanked him so and asked him for tea, this was her new neighbour and she was now finally a little happy, for she knew life was all about moving on and letting go. Her little boy with golden hair approved of this man, he wanted a dad and she was sure of that.

She told him her secret and he was ok with that, he liked her for who she was and not what she was. They married by the river in a chapel nearby and her baby had a father who loved him like his own. She was happy for that.

He found himself thinking of her and where she was, he would then think that she deserved what she got, it was five years later when he read the newspaper and saw the article about a war heroine and her beautiful family in America. She had a wizarding school of her own and a smile on her face, a little boy holding her arm and a tall dark man kissing her hair. All he was left with was nothing to feel for now that dark man had everything he always wanted, a beautiful wife, a son and a family. He had nothing to call his own for his wife had left, he couldn't give her love for it belonged to someone else, someone he thought who didn't deserved it, some who was unworthy. The image of the child fresh on his mind, he knew the boy was his and he would do everything to get him , She was his and he would have her back.


	2. chapter 2

His whole life had been a plan , an elaborate plan to flourish,to be wealthier than they already were, there had been no time for affection,he was trained from the age of two,he was made to learn anything and everything to help him get whatever he wanted and so now why was he so lost,he didn't know what to do, how to begin, he didn't know how to start to get them back, for he still wasn't sure of who he was, a man who loved her or a man who was above choosing her. He asked council from his friends who suggested "take the boy and she will follow".

She was happy and she felt free, her life here had given her everything she needed, on her way to school people would shout out greetings, her neighbours would invite her for weekend barbecues, she had friends who would send casseroles whenever she'd be down or sick,her husband would get her breakfast in bed on weekends. She felt whole and she felt complete except when a fragment of her psyche would whisper to her, telling her about her sons father, that he existed, he lived to torment her, he was born to make her miserable, would catch up to her happiness and crush her life,like he had done before, but before her mind could feel some dread her loving husband would remind her that all was well.

His mind was in turmoil, he watched her from afar, his wand shooting sparks when the man picked up his son and kissed him on golden head top. The beautiful boy he didn't know of, his flesh and his blood, living a life of ignorance that his father still existed. He hated her guts to hide such a fact but respected her strength to build the life she now had, he felt mirth at the thought that a storm was about to come and topple her mighty oak.

He wanted revenge for the torment that she had caused him, his heart was not in his control anymore, she had irrevocably changed him, she had contaminated him, maybe this was what his father spoke about, this was what the mudbloods were capable of, his father had spoken of mudbloods and their wicked ways their ability to steal and now he knew what it was,he knew she had stolen something from him, she had stolen his will to live without her,she had stolen his first born son, his heir,she was going to pay for doing that very very dearly.

All he had to do was set his plan in motion…

The air had a sudden chill today,she felt the breeze touch her harshly, it felt like it wanted her to feel cold, she wrapped her coat tightly around herself and began to pick up pace, it was a dark evening and she felt a sudden need to get back home, into the comforts of her beige walls and the arms of her support felt she was being followed by someone, from the corner of her eyes she could make out a silhouette. Another breeze blew by her and she could smell him, the slight notes of green apples,mint and his expensive whiskey and costly cigars.

she gathered her courage and turned herself around to find an empty lane and the street light flickering on and off. she reached the threshold of her safe haven and rushed inside,closed the door behind her and let out a deep sigh of relief. she found her boys watching a silly cartoon on tv without a bother in the world. The cold breeze blowing from outside was freezing her rooms through the open window, she moved forward to close it, her eyes come upon someone she dreaded to see,the one with pale skin and grey eyes looking at her from across the street. her breath caught in her throat and she couldn't move her eyes, the moment she blinked he disappeared from sight.

The wheels of time had turned and everything had gone as he had wanted, he wanted her to know that he again had a plan.


	3. chapter 3

Hermione was certain that if a person was about to face some sort of life changing event, some inexplicable force would unlace signs, preparing the person beforehand, giving them strength, she believed that she was one of those people who could spot these hints. she remembered the day she had met him, everything had gone wrong that day, she had been late for a ministry meeting and thereon everything decidedly went haywire, she lost some important papers causing her court session to be postponed, she had been looking for them the whole time, the moment she had actually found them was the instant when she had calamitously crashed into him. Her disasters that day were nothing as compared to her encounter with him. A week before she had realised that she was pregnant, she had received an inheritance from her dead grandmother, her plan to donate it to charity fell between cracks the moment she laid eyes on the plus sign, she had always known that her inheritance was a sign,something was about to happen which would cause her to need money and today the moment she woke up she felt an uncomfortable sense of calm, the calm before a grisly storm.

His boy and the man walked by him, he was under a dissolution and so they didn't know that he was present, his boy looked back in suspicion for a second, shook his head and went on his way again. He had a black and white bludger in his hand, the man beside him playfully smacked his back and they laughed at a joke which he couldn't make out meanwhile tossing the bludger between themselves.

A rage of jealousy passed through him, he was supposed to be that man, teaching his son how to play quidditch, not some silly muggle game with multicolored bludgers. All he had to do now was wait, wait for the right time to strike, to get back what he thought was his right.

She was positive something enormously disastrous was about to happen and she told her husband to be careful before he took off with their son to play football. She knew he wasn't a fragment of her imagination, but all she could do was wait and watch, she was sure he would approach her and she'd be prepared, ready to face him, to tell him to get the hell out, there was no place for the poison he spewed in her sons life. Somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind a tiny voice whispered "what if he does not approach you? what if he steals your precious away?", She was unwise because she ignored that voice, she still thought him incapable of crime.

It was tremendously easy to imperius him, he was a after all a mindless muggle. The moment he set the curse upon the man,the boy's expression changed to awareness, he realised what had happened and looked around, there were other people in the park but his grey eyes sought the ones which were of the same type.

He made the muggle tell the boy to wait there while he went to run an errand. He inwardly laughed at the foolishness of the muggle though he was impressed by the muggles determination to throw the curse off, she had truly trained him well it seemed.

His son walked towards him with determined strides,his brows furrowed, there was a pink tinge to his ears, it looked like the little guy had a temper,it made him proud, after all the boy was a Malfoy, his son.

"what did you do to my daddy?" he asked in his childlike yet firm voice,his nose in the air,showing his biological father that he wasn't scared of his magic.

That was when he realised, he didn't even know the childs name,he had been so blinded by rage and longing that he hadn't even bothered to enquire, he immediately rectified the situation.

"what is your name boy?"

"I don't tell my name to strangers." he informed,folding his hands. "I know you did magic,are you going to hurt my daddy?"

"No One's getting hurt if you tell me your name." He smirked.

"My mother will hear about this." he threatened,turned around and began to walk away.

Draco had frozen on the spot with shock, he had a sudden sense of nostalgia, he had been the same except he had looked up to his father so much whereas his son was definitely his mothers boy.

There was no time to waste,he had to take the boy back to Britain, if the boy refused to tell him his name he'd probably give him a new one, after all the boy was not more than seven.

He stupefied the boy, picked him up and apparated away, thinking in the back of his mind to buy him a proper set of robes rather than the baggy muggle attire his mother had clothed him in.

It was lunchtime and they weren't back yet,usually it was the other way around,they'd come storming in demanding nourishment after their strenuous game. She looked out of the window and found Darryl standing robotically still under a tree,she ran out towards him, she knew something was wrong and Draco had placed him there, she studied his eyes and found him cursed, taking out her wand with haste she broke the spell.

"what happened?, where is he?" she grabbed his hand and started rushing towards the park.

Darryl was breathing hard and beads of sweat had formed on his forehead, "Someone cursed me and asked me to stay away from his line of vision, I tried my best Hermione, I am sorry." he sighed with defeat. "I think it was him."he concluded.

"I know it was him, stay at home I'll be back and if I don't, contact Harry",She instructed. They had reached the park which seemed empty except for a few people scattered around, there was no sign of any beautiful blond people, the devil had taken her baby angel, she wanted to cry but there was no time for that,she was not some weakling who would sit behind and cry for help, she knew she had to do this on her own. She apparated home and took the floo network to london,her next stop would be the manor. She had again seen the signs,last month she had got a call from the caretaker of her home in London, she had said that they had been hearing noises inside the house and had wanted her to come back and change the locks, she should have taken heed to the warning, she should have tightened the security, she should have been the lock.

She hoped and prayed that the monster wouldn't harm her son, he was capable of any sin, he was so prejudiced maybe he wanted to erase his own half blood son,her blood ran cold at that thought, she wanted nothing more than to strangle that pale neck, she would if she had to if it meant the safety of her beautiful boy, she would kill for her son, even if it meant to execute the man she had loved with passion beyond reason.

I am new to writing,please excuse my grammar until i find a beta :)

Thank you to those who have reviewed.I really appreciate it.


	4. Chapter 4

One can never truly escape their past,it usually catches up with time,crouching behind like a hidden feline and pouncing when you least expect it. Darryl had known that their worlds would clash again, her life that was left behind would haunt them,he would never ever be too prepared to face these unknown forces but he'd try his best to help the woman he adored to face her dilemma,to give her the support when she needed it most, after waiting for an hour he decided to give a call to the much lionized Harry Potter, it was time for the saviour of the world to know what was happening and after that he had to send an important E-mail.

The moment she stepped into her london apartment she could smell the overpowering aroma of cigar , the same one he smoked, the house was perfectly clean except for a ash tray on her table and an empty glass of whisky. She remembered the first time they made love which was on the drawing room floor, their desperation knew no bounds back then and they didn't even make it to the couch, his heated touches and changed and marked her forever but this was an inappropriate time to feel nostalgic ,she needed to get her baby back,without wasting anymore time she apparated to the cagey gates of Malfoy Manor which held her beloved son. She felt her adrenaline rush as the gates groaned and started to open, she had expected a vanishing act, the muggle style gate opening mechanism amused her.

"The one and only woman I had been waiting for all my wretched life." he drawled,raising a glass of whiskey to her. He looked impeccable and business like in his dark suit,except for the loose tie,he was perfect as ever. The manor was dark as it always had been, a poor house elf had greeted her near the door and brought her inside, her fury had even distracted her from greeting the elf like she usually did. A comfortable fire was burning and from the expression on his face it looked like he had been celebrating his little victory.

"Where the hell is my son Malfoy?" she was getting increasingly impatient, his smug look made her want to gouge his eyes had to remain collected.

"Our son darling,our son" he chided.

"He isn't yours, he is Darryls." She knew her words would go futile but she had to try.

"Is he now?" he asked sarcastically, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow at her, he turned around facing the fire and took a sip of his whisky, deep in some thought.

"I want my son Draco,that is all I ask,he never did anything to you and neither did I, please don't hurt him." she pleaded, she felt her emotions overwhelming her, her tears were about to pour out, it took all the might to restrain herself from breaking down,looking at him up close and personal had brought memories to the surface,memories she thought had dulled with time, she wanted to cry for the loss of her love,for the hate he harboured towards her and their son,she wanted to mourn her incapability to ever love that way again. She knew she loved Darryl but she always knew that, that love was born out of care, it lacked the heartfelt desire she felt for her nemesis, maybe she had never hated Darryl with passion and so she couldn't love him equally but she wasn't the love struck woman anymore, time had healed and changed her.

He had still hadn't said anything and didn't seem to pay any attention towards her,he placed his glass on the side table and turned around to face her, "why didn't you to tell me?" he asked in a low threatening voice,a vein bulged on his forehead.

Hermione retreated a little, "what ? that you had me pregnant, you or your dear father would have killed me, after all you said and did, you expected me to come and confess I was carrying a half blood Malfoy." she said calmly. "I had to look out for my son,now kindly bring him to me, I have no business with you, you have your answer,bring scorpius back to me." Her voice was rising with every word she said.

"Interesting choice of name darling." he drawled.

"you bring him to me now or I will take matters in my own hands and start looking for him." she warned.

"why did you not abort him,not that I would have let you live if you did, but why give birth to the child of someone who abandoned you, it was very unfeeling of me, I must admit." he said.

"I will answer everything once you bring me back my child.", she stated.

He sighed and clapped his hands, soon an old elf appeared and bowed.

" master asked for pip?", it squeaked.

" Bring him here", he ordered.

The elf disapparated was was back within a moment holding scorpius's hand, scorpius looked tired but completely fine,she ran towards him and hugged him tightly.

"mfffhhh caat bethe" he struggled within her grasp. She gave him a wet smile and kissed him twice on his pale cheeks.

she looked over at Draco who was watching the exchange with mild amusement and said, "I think I should take him home, I will answer all your questions, just not now" , she signaled Draco looking pointedly over at scorpius that it was a conversation she rather not have in front of a child.

"Now now Granger, a Malfoy heir must live in the manor, i don't think you have the permission to take him away", he informed, giving her one of his trademark smirks.

She couldn't believe what she was hearing,this man who had detested her had just claimed her son as his heir,this smelt like extreme trouble,she knew what the archaic rules were, she had thought for a second that he had got enough satisfaction by causing her distress for a day and would let her off but she was wrong, it looked like he had much greater plans for tormenting her.

she inhaled deeply and looked over at scorpius who looked extremely sleepy,

"sweetheart why don't you go off and take a nap,I think this nice elf will help you",she smiled forcefully at her son.

"can I keep him mum, he played lots with me", he gave her a wide grin.

"we'll talk about it, now run along." she urged.

Draco nodded at the elf in agreement who took the boy's hand in his and disapparated away.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath,the same way her yoga instructor had advised her to if she got into a stressful situation and got ready to get into a heated argument, this time she wasn't going to give up without a tough fight.

"Who do you think you are! bastard! you walk into our lives and try to steal our happiness, let me inform you one thing Mr. Malfoy, I won't have you ruining my sons life, you have no right", she poked his chest with her index finger while shooting death glares at him, he caught hold of her hand and whispered into her ears "I am not the bastard here Granger, I don't think you want him to remain one either."

She wanted to smack him right across his pretty face for implying such a derogatory term for her beloved son but she refrained,she was positive he was not above hitting or cursing her.

"He has a father." She rebuked him.

"Yes he does and its best if he stays with his father, a Malfoy can never be a bastard and we don't let muggles and mudbloods steal our children, either you stay here if you want any access to your son or you can leave and be with the filth of a husband you have, but remember this Granger you are nothing except a mother to my son, if you weren't you wouldn't even be allowed to stand here,consider yourself privileged", he turned around and stalked off without even giving her a chance for a comeback.

He knew she wouldn't leave, she was not that person who would abandon her child, she loved his son dearly and would suffer any grief for scorpius he was sure, he was going to take complete advantage of this, though she was a mudblood he would keep her here, he didn't need to marry her or give her an official status in any relationship,he would keep her in the manor and no one would know he was harbouring feelings for the lowly,yes it was best for both of them to be here in the manor,the wizarding world was becoming unsafe again and he didn't want his little family to be in the middle of it again.

Another tiny house elf and brought Hermione to the room where scorpius slept, it was a nice,cozy room with a large four poster bed, scorpius was laying peacefully under a rich black velvet blanket,he was in deep sleep she could see, she walked towards him and sat down on the corner of the bed,moving away the hair that was falling on his eyes, she sighed.

She couldn't leave the house with scorpius now that he had been claimed as a heir, it would be seen as a kidnapping in the eyes of law, she hoped Darryl had contacted Harry and he would come to help her with the situation, she wasn't going to leave scorpius and go to find help, she wouldn't risk not being able to come inside the Manor or Draco transporting her son off to some place unknown, all she could do right now was wait. She settled herself on the blanket, without even bothering to get underneath it and closed her eyes, hugging her precious boy she drifted off to sleep.

A/N: people change with time...there may or may not be redemption. Thank you for reviewing. Feedback helps me write better, pls review :D


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione felt something touch her cheek, she swatted whatever it was away.

"wake up gorgeous, someones here to see you" he spoke softly,as if talking to a child.

she opened her eyes to find the room empty, the demon who had woken her up had obviously left,she found herself tucked underneath the blanket, Scorpius sleeping soundly beside her, one of the elves had probably tried to make her comfortable.

She got up and shuffled off towards the bathroom to freshen up,hoping it wasn't his parents who wanted to meet her, they'd probably zap her if they knew she had tainted the Malfoy line.

Harry found himself waiting for Hermione in one of the many parlors of the eerie manor, there was no sign of the owner himself, an elf had let him in and asked of his business after which it scurried off to get Hermione.

Darryl had informed him of the predicament,Harry had assured him that he would try his best to get her back but this situation was a delicate one with legal and political implications and so had to be dealt with discretion, he'd have to explain the whole situation to Hermione without divulging too much but enough to get her on the page of what was happening in Britain, she had been away for too long.

Harry saw Hermione descend the stairs and as soon as she saw him she ran towards him and trapped him in a rib cracking hug,it was seven years since he had seen her,he returned the hug with equal enthusiasm, she had refused to meet anyone from England but had regularly written to him, Harry had known about her affair with the younger Malfoy, he was one of the aurors that time who had kept surveillance on the family back then. He had wanted Hermione to tell him about her relationship with Malfoy herself but she never did. Harry always had a strong suspicion that the reason behind her leaving England was Draco and after she had informed Harry of her pregnancy, he had stopped pestering her to come back, it was best if she stayed in America away from the prying eyes this narrow minded society.

"Harry,I missed you", she was crying now, tears streaming down her cheeks but there was a tiny smile on her face. It felt like a piece of her life's puzzle had clicked back in place, Harry had always been her closest friend, he was the only one who had always been there for her, no matter what. He patted the back of her head while still hugging her and whispered "I know, I know." over and over again.

She moved out of his embrace and wiped her tears, "There are some things I need to tell you" she whimpered, her chin was trembling from trying to control her sobs.

"I know Hermione, I know of everything and have for a very long time" he stated matter of factly.

"I tried my best to keep this a secret for as long as I could,things don't remain hidden for ever" he sighed. Hermione who was listening to him intently asked desperately "what do I do now Harry?, can't I take scorp and leave?"

"He has been claimed, you know you can't", he paused for a second and began again. "Have you heard about wizarding children being stolen in the seventeenth century?"

"yes, Professor Binns had given a lecture on that, some muggle women would seduce wizards and get pregnant, they would then run away when the time came for them to give birth, this was done so they could have magical children who would help them gain advantage over muggle society." she recollected.

"A law was passed by the wizarding ministry, if a child is of magical ancestry and the father recognises and claims the child as his the mother has no option but to return the child to the father's family, this was done so that the muggle women wouldn't be able to leave or steal the child as the fathers could claim the child within a week of conception, Draco has reenacted his right to the child the moment he recognised him in the newspaper, you can't take him Hermione,if you do you'll be sentenced for life." Harry informed her defeatedly.

"what do I do Harry?" she asked massaging her headache.

"You know we are under his scrutiny", Harry cast a impenetrable silencing charm around them which looked like a glass bubble, "I need you to stay put, remain here with Scorp,keep an eye on the activities going on about here, he won't hurt you or Scorpius,the authorities have been informed about your situation and a letter was sent to him citing a list of warnings and rules." Harry informed.

"I am a married woman Harry, what about Darryl?,I can't stay here with that demonic being" she spat.

"Darryl has agreed to this course of action, I had a lengthy discussion with him, he agrees to this", he assured her.

He handed her a small cell phone, "he asked me to deliver this to you as we very well know he wouldn't be allowed any visitations, just remember one thing Hermione, everything has changed in the wizarding world, there is an international threat and you have landed in the middle of it", He spoke gravely.

"I promise to get you and Scorp out as soon as I can, just remember to keep your eyes and ears open, I'll call you soon,give Darryl a call once the coast is clear,he may have some explaining to do" He gave her a forced smile.

"I won't be getting much more out of you now, will I?" She was itching to know the details but it was better that they didn't talk about that under this roof.

"No, not yet" He sighed, " I'll leave now, I have missed you too much Hermione, glad you are back." he cancelled the silencing charm and gave her a small kiss on the forehead. "I am glad to see you too Harry",she whispered giving his hand a light squeeze.

Harry walked towards the fireplace to floo away, he turned and gave her a small smile and then disappeared into the green flames.

"What a touching reunion, intensely romantic", he said menacingly, he was standing behind her with his hands folded and hate dripping from his self.

She didn't even bother to inform him that all she felt for Harry was love grown out of friendship and years of sharing pain,not something even mildly romantic.

"what do you want Malfoy?" she asked looking straight at him.

"Our son was throwing an enormous fit when he couldn't find you, it is twice that I have heard him threaten,

"my mother will hear about this", he finished with a mock baby voice.

Hermione blushed a little, she may have pampered Scorpius a little more than necessary and he tended to act like a baby at times not that he was grown up, he was only four and a half but sometimes his antics were of a two year olds, he was so much like his father.

She thought it better to ignore his jab and stalked off towards the room she had shared with Scorpius. She found him dashing around the room with two little elves at his tail, "master must brush his teeth before eating candy", they chorused.

"no, no, no, no, nooooo", sang Scorpius.

Hermione couldn't help but smile at her little prince, she composed her expression and with a stern face entered the room.

"scorpius!, is this what good children do?" she gave him her best well practised glares.

He stopped his impish activities and looked at her with wide eyes, "sorry mommy", he mumbled.

"Now go brush your teeth and no candy before you have breakfast and milk",she imposed.

She turned around to go find the bane of her existence when she crashed into a hard chest. He had been standing behind her and watching the whole scene unfolding, he had missed out so much of his son's childhood and now he didn't want to miss out anything that was happening in his small family.

"ummm Draco let me go" she said self consciously, he had been holding her when she had bumped into him, he let her go with slight irritation at his own absent mindedness, he wasn't supposed to show such blatant display of care, he should have let her fall on her ass.

"There are some things that need to be discussed, can we talk?", she asked hopefully.

"I have important business to attend to,I ll be home at night, see you at dinner, ask the elves for anything that you or Scorpius may need." he told her.

He had started to leave put paused and added, "control the son of yours, the elves won't be able to refuse any direct orders from him and he had been ordering candy first thing in the morning.", he spoke as if telling her that she had done a bad job at parenting.

"He is your son too you idiot", she shouted at his retreating back at which he chuckled without glancing behind.

To say she want confused was an understatement, she hadn't been this confused even when Harry had spoken parsel tongue and she had tried to understand what was happening back then, she had gotten a severe headache in second year she remembered, too much of confusion, but that was pale as compared to her confused emotions right now. Draco was being suspiciously very civil and hadn't yet used any derogatory term with reference to her blood. Maybe she had loved him because he was confusing, like a tough rune which she had to labour to decipher and she had always loved challenges, difficult problems, maybe she had fallen for him because he was like a tough challenge for her.

Hermione requested the elves to bring her a set of clothes and they more than willingly went off to run the errand, she had the whole day ahead of her, Scorpius was busy playing with Tinny who was a young house elf. She'd have to do something about his schooling if he was to stay at the manor for a prolonged period.

Her thoughts went back to Harry and his words, he spoke about an international threat. Hermione had stopped reading the daily prophet a day after Scorpius was born she could remember that day like it happened yesterday.

The sun had been shining brightly, beams of light entered her hospital room lighting up dust motes, her baby lay sleeping in his tiny crib and warm sunshine lit up his hair, he was the most beautiful sight for her to behold, he had very fine pale hair on his head which she loved touching, he had been a chubby baby and she had been in eighteen hours of painful labor to bring him in this world,she was a proud mother, she had done everything on her own. She had no one except a random nurse to hold her when she cried with pain, he had torn her body while entering the world, he had given her pain beyond measure and she would have taken it again if needed be, for him, he was her life afterall, her baby boy.

She had been very happy that day after a very long time, there was a smile on her face,she was never ever going to be lonely again,she had a family now, family consisting of her and her baby.

After the discharge papers had been signed she had taken a cab home, excited to reach home, she wanted to place her baby in his nursery that had been made for him, everything was perfect till the moment her eyes fell on the daily prophet, after settling her baby in his crib she sat down to read the prophet with a cup of much needed coffee.

Her coffee lay forgotten on the kitchen table and a bout of mind numbing depression took over her, the article spoke of high school sweethearts who had one of the most romantic weddings to ever happen in wizarding Britain, the photo on the front page showed a blonde man kissing a raven head woman and the headlines read. MALFOY HEIR TIES THE KNOT!

A small cry erupting from the next room broke her out of this reverie,that was the moment she realised she was not alone anymore and it wouldn't do good if she let her emotions get the best of her,she had gotten up with determination, wiped her own tears and burned the prophet promising herself to not ever read it again, she was going to dedicate her life to her baby and she was going to be happy.

Now four years later she broke the promise to herself, she had to know what had been happening here from somewhere and the prophet was the only option, she needed answers.

a/n : This is supposed to be a love story but then I changed my mind and added some politics and crime along with the romance. plz r&r. :D


	6. Chapter 6

There had been no substantial news in the prophet except for a few articles on strained relations with the muggle ministry which was a fairly common phenomena, she had even tried to call Darryl but to no avail as his phone was switched off, she was indeed getting frustrated, Scorpius had settled in well and was having a ball, the little imp hadn't even bothered to ask for his step father, the joy of having a huge Manor at his disposal and new elf friends who were willing to do his bidding had distracted him enough to forget, he was constantly playing hide and clap with the elves who looked completely worn out,with nothing else to do with her time Hermione decided to visit the library and spend her time there.

He had successfully completed the task given to him and now his father would not question anything he did, he needed a upper hand in everything that was happening, now he could keep them without worrying about anyone questioning , he had the power and he was going to abuse it.

She had been sitting on the couch nursing a glass a wine waiting for the vicious personality to grace her with his hateful presence, when the floo came to life and in stepped Theodore Nott, he looked the same except for his hair which he had kept longer,the same tall fellow with dark eyes and hair, there was no surprise on his face when he saw her and gave her a half smile.

Hermione got up and tightened her robe around herself, she wasn't expecting any other person to visit and wasn't dressed appropriately, "hello Theo", she said awkwardly.

she had been his potions partner in school and so knew him well, they had done many of their assignments together and though they weren't exactly friends but they had gotten along well enough.

"what a pleasant surprise, I Didn't expect to find you sprawled on Malfoys couch, maybe wouldn't have been shocked if it was another woman, but you Granger, how come?, looks like you haven't escaped the famous Malfoy charm." he sneered.

She inwardly groaned, true she had been a prey to his charms and now she was here repenting her foolishness

"He is not home and its not my place to discuss why I am being held here, now what do you want?", she asked bluntly.

"No nothing, just wanted to check out some papers but will come back later after Draco comes back", he started to turn back when Hermiones curiosity got the better of her.

"what does he do Theo", she asked him timidly, she remembered he held a certain degree of dislike for Draco and hoped that it still existed.

"Its not my place to tell you Hermione", he mirrored her words, "this and that you know", he mocked.

"Tell him I visited", he said and took off.

Hermione sighed and plopped down on the couch, the wizarding world had probably gone crazy in her brief absence she she could snoop around in his study and find out, God help her she hated suspense.

It was getting late and he still hadn't returned, Scorpius had fallen asleep and she lay beside him staring outside the window at the starts blinking at her, unaware of the issues faced by people living far away on earth.

she remembered when she had been with him, his eyes always held discomfort, it looked like he was constantly in pain, the way he would put others down or insult others it somehow felt like he was pouring out his agony onto others, maybe he was still in turmoil, he needed someone to soothe him but she knew she didn't have the courage to try, she had moved on and she was married.

She woke up abruptly when she heard the sound of breaking glass in the corridor outside their room, she tiptoed towards its origin and slowly opened the door without making any noise, she sneaked towards the flickering lights at the end of the corridor, she could hear two people talking and one of them was Draco.

"No..mother, I know,you have to keep me posted,I can't trust him, no you cant, I am sorry but I can't let you", his mother seemed to be on the other end of the floo and so she couldn't make out what she was saying.

The room had gone dark again, he had shut the floo.

"you can stop hiding Granger", he called.

She walked out of her hiding place and faced him, "I was waiting for you, there are somethings to be discussed" she informed.

"what shall that be?" he sounded tired.

" I will be going out daily and I need assurance that I'll be allowed to come back in again", she said.

"And Theo visited today", she added.

His expressions darkened at her words, he walked towards her with speed and caught hold of her shoulders, "lets get one thing straight Hermione, you aren't leaving this Manor ever again , and stop whoring around with people, Nott always had his eyes on you and he made it a point to see you when he realised I wasnt around, so use the big head of yours and keep away." he pushed her shoulders and she stumbled backwards. "shouldn't have kept him on surveillance duty", he muttered to himself walking to and fro.

She could feel her temper rising, "I am a married woman Malfoy and have never ever been a slag", she shouted "you can't keep me trapped here, I will call the authorities", she threatened.

"your marriage to the filth means nothing to me", he spat. "you can do nothing but obey me, stay here and stay out of trouble, or you won't be seeing your son ever again." he warned. He had moved too close for comfort and he implied things she didn't want to imagine, she stepped back and created some distance between them.

"I hate you,you son of a bitch" she spat and took off back to her room without giving him a chance to say anything.

He pulled at his hair in frustration, though things had gone in his favor today but there were people who were still trying to interfere in his happiness, he needed to eliminate or make them submit to him one by one.

Theo had always wanted Granger, he knew, he had always tried to be her partner in potions and it had annoyed Draco to no extent, he had pondered why didn't Theo or the other slytherin guys not find her repulsive, it had all added fuel to his fire which had led him to hate her, the fact that other guys giving her attention had irritated him to no end and had caused him mental turbulence, didn't they realise she was a thief, a muggle seductress trying to steal their magic. He knew now that magic couldn't be stolen and so he rationalized that it was ok for him to keep her as his.

Later that night he walked towards his childhood room that he had now given his son and opened the door, it looked like she was sleeping, he made his way towards the bed and for the first time looked at his son properly,studying his features and distinguishing them, he had his mothers chin and his nose, he was a perfect mixture of them, his blonde hair a little darker than his own but a striking malfoy feature, he wondered how looked like when he was a baby, his attention was shifted to Hermione who lay watching him intently and shut her eyes the instant he looked over at her, he didn't bother to tell her he knew she was awake, he kissed his son on the forehead for the first time and left the room in silence.

A sob escaped her the moment the door shut behind him, she had craved to see this the moment scorpius was born but had known that it would never happen and now after witnessing a tender moment which seemed sincere she couldn't control herself, she cried for the tragedy of it all, she cried herself to sleep.

A melodious laughter woke her up, she opened her eyes and looked around, Scorpius was missing from the side of her bed, she could hear voices from outside, peeping outside the window she could see two figures in the lawn, the smaller one was running chasing after an albino peacock which looked terrified while the taller figure looked amused.

She put on a silk robe that the elf had given her and walked down the stairs towards the lawn,Scorpius who had given up chasing the peacock was enthusiastically demonstrating cartwheels to Draco, her little one saw her coming and ran towards her to greet her, he jumped into her arms, "boy you are getting heavy", she said kissing his tiny nose.

"Mommy I showded the scary man how daddy taught me cartwheel" he screamed with enthusiasm.

"he is not very scary you know", he then whispered into her ears.

Draco's jaw tightened when he heard him mention Darryl as daddy but Hermione ignored him, she put Scorpius down and reprimanded him, " I saw you troubling the poor peacocks, don't do it again", she pinched his nose lightly "awwww mammaaa", he squeaked. "I wanted to make you a feather hat",he gave her a naughty smile showing his missing front tooth.

She smiled at him and instructed him to have his breakfast that the elves had prepared for him,she needed to try and convince Draco to let Scorpius go to school, "Draco", she called him, he was busy casting some protection spells she could see, wondered why the fortress needed more security.

He glanced at her and raised his eyebrow, "I know you care about scorp and so you must understand the importance of him going to school and interacting with people his age, living in the manor without friends will make him an outcast, you know he needs children his own age, he is constantly playing with elves, he'll probably start thinking he himself is an elf, he has started chasing after animals and doing crazy things, he doesn't know where to divert his energy." she finished in one breath.

He looked at her without any significant expression and spoke "I'll think about it", he was looking at her, just watching her, she started to get a little uncomfortable, she felt exposed, "ummm i'll go then", she said nervously, she started to walk back towards the manor when she heard his soft voice "Hermione", she turned around to find him look away into the distance his back to her, she was again reminded of his pain, why was he in so much of turmoil she wondered but his problems were not her sons issues, he deserved a normal childhood.

The weather was changing and winter was nearing,it was getting colder and she felt numb inside,the manor fires did nothing to defreeze her soul,there was some tension in the air of the manor and it felt as if it was under threat, she had made no progress as to finding out what was happening and so she decided the moment he left for work wherever that he went off to she would look into his study and find out what he was upto.

She made sure that he had left for the day before trying to find his study, it was probably the room near the library which was always closed she had noticed, she had seen him walk out of it twice in the past two days, using a simple unlocking charm she opened the door and lit the lamps, the room had nothing out of the ordinary except for a few maps lying on the table, she lifted one of the maps to examine it when she noticed it was a normal world map and it had a few countries circled on it, she recognised Russia,China and America circled with red while India, Korea and U.K marked with green.

She was about to pick up some other maps and have a look at them when she heard a noise coming from outside the door, someone was outside and was trying to open the door, after a few moments she heard the person mutter a series of complex unlocking charms and enter the room, she had cast a dissolution on herself and she hid in a dark corner of the room.

It was Nott, he stormed inside and started looking for something in the drawers, maybe he was looking for the said maps which were presently in her hands, she was sweating profusely and adrenaline was coursing through her veins, it wouldn't do good if she were to be discovered here, Nott may go and tell this to Draco and she wasn't sure what he would do but she had a sneaking suspicion that Nott was here without Dracos knowledge, she'd have to tell this to Draco without him being suspicious of her, Nott pulled at his hair in frustration, he was muttering under his breath and after a few more moments of searching he left the room locking the door again.

She let out a sigh of relief and places the maps in the position she had found them in and left the room, it took no trouble for her to open the door, she just had to tug at the handle normally, it looked like the locking charms didn't work for her, she smiled in delight.

She found a text message waiting for her on the phone Darryl had left her, it stated the place and time to meet which was a fortnight from today, they apparently believed that she'd be able to sneak out by then.

Draco arrived early that day and she found him and Scorpius playing a game of chess, he nodded in acknowledgement at her and he signaled her to take a seat at the table with them, Scorpius was deep in thought and was trying his best to beat his father, he was extremely competitive like that.

"Did you meddle with the papers in my study", he asked calmly.

"no", she replied looking elsewhere, she was terrible at lying.

"I sawed one man in your study", Scorpius contributed.

"look at me in the eye", Draco asked of him.

He was most likely looking at his memories she knew, damn she'd have to practise occumalency again.

"when can we go home mommy", Scorpius asked her innocently, he had no doubt become bored of ordering the elves around and missed school.

" I wanna play with daddy", he whined.

Draco got up from his chair rather abruptly causing the chessboard to topple on the floor, "its time you have an important conversation with your son and straighten some things out, I don't want any mention of the filth here again", he snapped , giving her a look of disgust as if it was her mistake that Scorpius was missing Darryl,he stalked off.

Hermione picked up the chess board and placed it on the table, Scorpius looked at her with tear filled eyes, he felt as if it was his mistake that the scary man had become angry again and he didn't want the man to hurt his mommy, "I wanna go home mommy" he whimpered, and burst out crying loudly, he was a little sensitive like that, Hermione and Darryl had made a point to never argue in front of him, he'd throw a fit and cry for hours if they fought in his presence, she mentally prepared herself for a war the moment Scorpius would sleep.

She found him drinking at the bar, he looked completely sloshed and his face was red, he looked terrifying, she walked up to him with determined strides and grabbed the bottle of whiskey and threw it on the wall, "How dare you, how dare you , bloody creep!" she shouted, you walk into our perfect lives and ruin it, then you expect a four year old child to forget his father, are you daft?, you need a mental asylum Draco, stop transferring your psychotic incompetencies over my family, you prick!" she screeched like a banshee.

He didn't say anything but waited for her to finish, "I know you very well you bastard, the moment you realised we were happy and I was happy without you, you couldn't stand it, you wanted me to suffer like you do, all you do is suck the happiness out of me, but guess what its not just me now, I have a life attached to me, he was a gift to me when I was at my lowest and I promised to give him a proper life, unlike the one your parents gave you." she spat. "You are a disgrace, its a shame you are his father, he deserved better", she hissed.

She hadn't realised that she had come closer while disparaging him, he his eyes burned with an intensity she had never seen, his pupils dilated, he roughly grabbed her waist and pulled her towards himself, his pelvis taut with hers, his chest pressed against her softness, he kissed her,it was light and it was warm, she couldn't react neither could she move away, his lips moved softly on hers sending tingles to her toes, her whole body burned with heat she had ceased to remember.

Her brains which had paused functioning came back to full play she she realised that she had started kissing him back, SMACK! she slapped him hard across the face. His pale cheek turned a deep shade of magenta, she glared at him with shock written all over her self at what she had done, been a participant in the kiss,she ran away with tears in her eyes.

She had never hated anyone more than herself that day, she hated the fact that she had let him get to her. She wasn't going to let this happen again, tomorrow morning she'd wake up and find a way to get out of the manor,to get her son out from the clutches of this darkness that surrounded the property and the beast that lived within it.

He had kissed her because he wanted to check if this was real, if she were real and actually fighting over what was good for their son, it was too good to be true, she had looked adorable and he felt proud that his son had a mother who loved him beyond measure but then she slapped him!

He was outraged, he wanted to wring the delicate neck of hers, the bitch, she had slapped him again, she was nothing and he would put her in her place, he'd show her that her actions had consequences, he'd make her cry and hurt her in ways he knew and was very much capable of.

a/n: i changed the rating...may add something steamy in the next chapters ,nothing too explicit though. r&r


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione was having a tough time figuring a way out of the Manor, Draco had left, he was gone somewhere satan knows where, she was meanwhile reading books in the library related to the archaic laws regarding child custody but nothing substantial was emerging,it had been a week since he had left and she just had a few more days till her meeting, she still hadnt figured out how to get out but was positive that it would be possible as she could open doors and the Manors security systems didn't work against her.

She knew that along with security spells the Manor was being guarded by some of his trusted lackeys, she was playing with the idea of convincing Theo to help her, afterall he was on surveillance duty and Draco hopefully had left before finding a replacement, all she had to do was find a way to know where he was stationed because she had never seen him inside the inner walls of the Manor.

Theodore Nott was all about revenge, he had a childhood of suffering and torture, witnessing his mother being killed at the hands of the dark lord had set his goals straight, he had vowed to destroy everyone who would support the abomination of a human, he would work from inside and like a fast spreading cancer would destroy each and every part of the demonic organisation. He was waiting for her to approach him for help, Draco the bastard had locked him out but she could find him if she stepped out of the threshold of the Manor, he'd then help her, he needed to help her to help himself, he'd have to take care of the other guards who were stationed under him, if she'd just use the big brains of hers and walk out like any person would.

Scorpius was adjusting to the life of solitude, he would play alone or with the elves when they would spare him the time,he would read a book or chase after peacocks still with the mission of making Hermione a feather hat, she didn't have the heart to reprimand him anymore plus the peacocks were too fast for him so there was no danger of him hurting them and he'd just end up collecting some feathers which the peacocks would shed occasionally.

It was a particularly chilly evening and Scorpius had been put to bed,Hermione sat in the balcony with a cup of strong coffee and a blanket enveloping her, facing the back garden which eventually merged into the magical forest, she was thinking about Draco and wondering where he was, she was worried that he may take some drastic measures to extract revenge, he was cold-blooded,the man lacked a vital organ that pumped fresh warm blood.

Theo was keeping an eye on the Manor , the view was hazy through the fog that was lingering on the Manor horizon, he used the binoculars for the sixth time since the evening had set in hoping that he'd find her on the manor grounds, he had a plan to get her to come out of the threshold, it was simple yet effective.

Hermione would always get too deep into her thoughts and forget the universe, she was in her one such deep thinking sessions when she noticed some smoke and light erupting from deep within the forest, it looked like the forest had caught fire and someone was screaming, it sounded like a small child, she without thinking twice grabbed her wand and took off running towards the disturbance, it would take her at least fifteen minutes to reach the destination and whoever was caught in the fire had less chances of surviving with the passing second but she had to try, she ran barefoot into the chilly forest wearing nothing but a pale white silk nightgown, her gown getting ripped by branches and thorns, her feet getting sore with every step.

The moment she reached the spot which was supposed to be on fire her eyes fell upon a old wooden shack, there was light inside, she knew now that she had been tricked into coming here, whoever it was wanted her to come out of the protective barriers of the fortress, she was too curious to back out now, taking a deep breath and gathering all the courage and strength she could muster, she opened the door, twisting the knob and entering the warm but uninviting room.

Theo sat at the kitchen table with a cup of hot steaming tea,he looked at her with amusement when she entered, she knew she looked horrible, all sweaty with torn clothes and bare feet, she blushed with embarrassment.

"don't look at me like that" she scolded.

"you look very fetching Granger, a man can't help but look", he teased.

She scowled at him, "ya right,I run all the way here to save someones sorry ass to find you lounging in your holiday home in the middle of the forest, planning to bury me in a ditch somewhere" she folded her hands defensively.

"I have no such plans my dearest Hermione", he assured her.

"Then why am I here?", she asked him raising her left eyebrow.

He got up from the chair and walked towards the door, "follow me, I'll explain on the way, we don't have much time, the perimeter alarms will go off once I step out and backup will be here in some time plus the house elves will inform Draco if they find you missing", he ushered her to move.

Hermione had so many questions for him but she refrained from asking right now,she felt paranoid that someone else would hear her.

She was apprehensive of following him blindly into the forest but her curiosity had always been her drawback, she ended up trailing behind quietly.

They walked into the heart of the forest for the next five minutes and reached a clearing which housed a single apple tree, the apples shone with the moonlight, the tree looked dark and magical. He stopped near the tree and pointed her to come and stand beside him, the moment she stood at the spot he had shown her, her eyes fell upon a shining trinket hanging on the lowest branch of the tree, it was her charmed bracelet which Darryl had given her on their first anniversary.

"How did you get this", she whispered,being much too shocked to react in any other way.

"Hermione", he said softly "there are things you know nothing about,just remember this, I didn't take this by force", he soothed.

She was about to unlatch it from the branch when his hands stopped her trembling ones, "don't, it's a portkey." he informed.

"Remember one thing Hermione if you ever decided to leave the Manor this portkey will take you to the one who gave it to you", he explained, "it will also bring you back after an hour", he added.

Its been awhile since I have left my surveillance post at the shack,the backup will arrive any moment, go to the Manor, I guess I have given you the solution you were looking for", he smiled at her kindly.

"I will inform the others that you were in the forest collecting mooncalf dung , trust me with you its believable", he said when he saw her expression of disbelief. "you Gryffindors love night time strolls and adventures in deep forests I have heard", he sniggered.

"I need to know why you are doing this, are you tricking me?is this Dracos idea of a joke?", she asked.

"no beautiful, its just that I have an interest in ridding the world of some monsters and I think you can help me", he stated matter of factly, "also I want to help you find truth and genuine happiness Hermione", he added tucking a curl behind her ear,his touch sent a chill down her backbone.

"There is a conspiracy which has you involved, I regret to inform, Darryl will tell you everything you need to know,I don't have time for such long talks" he sighed, "take care princess", he said softly and disapparated leaving her rooted on the spot thinking over the things he had just told her, the increasing cold which was biting at her feet brought her back to her senses and she walked all the way back to the Manor marking the path which she was taking so that the next week when she had to leave she wouldn't have to waste precious time finding her way to the clearing.

His words rang in her ears, he wanted her to find truth, truth about what? what was the conspiracy? only one person could answer these questions and she had now found a way to reach him, it was her husband Darryl.

She walked into the room she shared with Scorpius and pulled the blanket over her,covering herself.

She watched the stars twinkling in the dark night sky from the side of her bed,a small voice in her head asked "do you know who exactly is Darryl?",she had no reply to that, that night she didn't sleep, the chill that had seeped into her bones from the time she spend in the forest refused to leave.


	8. Chapter 8

Hermione was extremely frustrated, waiting was turning out to be a task harder than hunting horcruxes,at least it had involved some action, anticipation was pure annoyance as she was being kept in the dark, she decided to make notes about everything that was happening, planning and listing questions she was about to ask Darryl, the much awaited day was a few hours away.

She hadn't been informed of a time most possibly because he'd know the moment she'd use the portkey according to her convenience, she hoped she was right.

She was glad that Draco was gone, she didn't want to complicate her life more than it already was, his kiss had invoked sensations which were much better left dormant, the best part of the ordeal was that he was away when she was going for her much awaited tryst.

She had asked the elfs where they kept the endless supply of clothing and selected a few winter clothes along with sturdy boots for her upcoming jungle trek, she felt guilty for ordering a very lavish meal that day just so the elves remained busy, Scorpius kept the younger elf engaged and rarely bothered her, she had exactly one hour to go and be back.

Hermione decided that she would make the trip at night when everyone in the Manor would be asleep after a tiring day.

The much awaited time arrived, it was nearing midnight and she tightened her hood over head and silently sneaked out of thee Manor back door making the least amount of sound possible, her walk till the clearing was fast and without much setbacks, being used to the tough life of the forests and well practised with jungle trekking, she reached the clearing out of breath and sweating profusely inspite of the cold.

The tree looked as regal and mysterious as ever, it had an aura around it which she couldn't place whether light or dark, she had no time to appreciate the beauty of the tree and touched the bracelet which led her to feel the familiar pull.

She landed in a small room which closely resembled an muggle police interrogation cell, it had a two way mirror and standard interrogation table and chair, the moment she arrived she heard light footsteps which grew louder and Darryl came barging in through the door. He hugged her the moment he entered and she hugged him back, he moved away from her and she would see that he was genuinely worried about her and looked haggard, his face had stress written all over it.

"How are you baby", he asked her, kissing her lightly on the lip.

"I am ok Darryl, what is happening ?", she knew she had no time for pleasantries and got straight to the piont, time was ticking.

"There is something I must tell you first, I think you should sit down for this", he looked worried, pulling out the chair indicating her to take the seat.

She sat down look nervously at him, something was different about him, he looked more reserved and stiff.

"Hermione darling, hear me out and then pass judgement, I request you to hear me out completely before you storm out or lash at me, just remember this- I love you and always will" he pleaded.

She nodded and encouraged him to continue. "I was never exactly a teacher, the time I met you I was working for the CIA, it was an undercover operation." he said.

Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing but controlled herself from disrupting him, feeling betrayed somehow she sure wasn't liking what her thoughts were predicting.

"go on", she urged him, he had paused to look at her expression, she was stronger than that, she had experienced enough shocks and didn't feel jolted by his confession.

"It had been an assignment given to me, the officials had asked me to keep an eye on you, we were tracking some international criminals and your boyfriend was one of the suspects,I was to track your movement subtly and report back but there was nothing to report as you had left him behind." he sighed with resignation.

She felt hurt, she had always thought herself to be lucky to have landed a man like Darryl who was handsome as well as smart, he was perfect and now she felt as if everything was a setup. Tears filled up her eyes and threatened to overflow.

"Hermione, you were the most perfect girl ever, I watched you all through the pregnancy, you glowed, you were so strong and so confident, you managed everything on your own, I wanted to approach you earlier than I did but as I was on official duty I couldn't. I knew you were a witch and it would be tough to get you to open up to me but I wanted to be with you, you were an epitome of perfect,I wanted you. The day I was relieved of my duty I approached you, I couldn't exactly tell you who I was for I feared you wouldn't want anything to do with war again after all that you had experienced, I knew you wanted to shelter your son from that type of life and so I took up the job as a teacher. I am sorry for lying but I did it so I could love you and get you to love me in return." he finished with his small speech and let out a sigh of relief, he had let go of the burden he had been carrying.

She got up from where she was sitting and hugged him resting her head on his chest and letting her tears flow.

"You could have told me, I would have understood", she said looking up at him and kissing his lips softly.

"Am I forgiven", he asked nervously.

"yes", she whispered.

She walked back to her chair and sat down, trying to digest everything she had just heard, taking a sip of water from the glass which was kept on the table she asked him, "what did Draco do Darryl?"

"Now listen carefully baby, what I am about to tell you is classified information and only a handful of people know of it, we have a team of eight people who have been tracking various leads in the past ten years, four of the them are magical ." his tone had become very business like and she nodded in response.

"There have been instances of various thefts involving highly volatile nukes, someone has been trying to gather power and has been conducting magical thefts, all nuclear facilities in these nuclear countries have magical barriers protecting these weapons of destruction but someone stole it, it was under high security and whoever has done it was well versed with dark magic, there were numerous murders which were linked to these thefts", he informed.

"All our leads from the murders led us to some followers of an international terrorist whom you call Lord Voldemort, we have been trying to track them and we need to predict when the next attack will happen, Russia,China and America have already been targeted." he stated.

"Why are they stealing muggle weapons", she wondered aloud, she didn't have much information about magical involvement with muggle developments, she needed to find a book on the topic she decided.

"Nukes are resistant to any magic, the energy emitted is more powerful than magic and so can be used as a weapon against us as well as magical people", he explained.

"Do you think he is involved", she asked.

"We are positive, Potter has been tracking him for ages along with one of our other partners, we have spotted him in the country a few days before the theft on all three occasions." he clarified.

"What do I do Darryl, he has my son!" she cried.

"Hermione, I am here for you, I have been reassigned to my position and I will get you out safely before we plan an attack on him, we have yet to collect enough evidence and I can assure its only a matter of time before he is incarcerated" He consoled.

"I have a few leads as to where he will be next and we will be ready for him.",he added.

Hermione was about to ask him how was he going to fight against a dark wizard and she also needed to tell him about Draco and his security measures for the Manor when the bracelet which she had dropped on the floor began to emit a low hum and was increasingly glowing.

" Its time for you to leave my love", he kissed her again.

She knew she had to leave now or the portkey would depart without her, she kissed him with passion hoping against hope that it wasn't the last time she would do so.

"Take care baby" she said as she picked up the portkey, the last thing she heard him say was 'I'll always love you Hermione' before she landed in the clearing, his words ringing pleasantly in her ears, the bracelet was back in its place on the tree.

She rushed back to the Manor without looking anywhere else but the estate which was getting closer, she could make out lights flickering in the lower floors of the Manor, cold dread filled her, she prayed he had not returned, she gathered a few herbs as alibi as to what she had been doing in the past hour

The moment she stepped foot inside she knew her prayers had gone unanswered, she heard a high pitched giggle coming from the hallway, she wanted to walk back to her room and avoid confrontation with whoever it was when she heard his cold drawl, "Hermione dearest, you are back", he said with false cheer which raised the hair on the back of her neck.

"come here, I wanted you to meet someone", he called.

Hermione begrudgingly entered the illuminated hallway to find herself face to face with one witch she knew she had seen somewhere before, "meet Romilda", he introduced with fake enthusiasm. "My fiance", he added, lowering his voice with menace.

Her lungs ceased to function when she heard this, she knew what he had done, getting a fiance meant many things which were not favourable to her situation.

"Hermione, So glad to see you again", she screeched.

Hermione's attention went towards Romilda and landed on the bundle that lay near her with a golden head that rested on her lap.

"what is Scorp doing out of bed at this hour", she asked.

"My dear, he was crying for mommy when I found him in his room sitting in complete darkness complaining about monsters under his bed." she said making a very sad face.

"I comforted him and put him to sleep", she smiled evilly. "He even called me mommy before he slept." she added.

"I think I'll be the best mother to him ever", she said smiling up at Draco who was looking at her with mild disbelief but morphed his expression when he saw Hermione looking at him with hate , Romilda's smile and tone resembled umbridge to a great extent, the only difference was that she was taller with curly black hair and a striking body.

"Oh! shut up will you!", Hermione said with disgust, " have you gone barmy, I can see you have used a sleeping draught on him, don't insult my intelligence with all this foolishness", she insulted.

"Draaaacooo!", Romilda whined like a two year old complaining of constipation.

"Hermione, you were the one who left your son in the Manor all alone to go off on your personal adventure, the boy needs a mother who can take care him", he said in a bored tone.

"I wasn't gone on an adventure, I needed herbs for a cough potion", she lied , avoiding his eyes.

She was too weary to argue with an irritating bint and an obnoxious brat so she just gathered Scorpius in her arms without even bothering to look at the irritating pair.

"She is taking my baby", Romilda cried, overdoing her motherly acting.

Draco who looked like he had enough of her whining for one night reassured her that she would get enough time to spend with his son the next day.

He asked the irritating woman to leave them alone for a moment which she obeyed like a trained dog and spoke to Hermione in a low threatening voice, "listen to me very carefully bitch, you are not to leave the Manor grounds ever, I will throw you out if you cross the barrier again, I have brought my son a mother and he won't be needing you anymore, so don't make me act upon my threats", he warned.

Tears began to flow freely from her eyes and she hid her face in the crook of her sons neck, she couldn't understand why he hated her so much, what had she done to deserve this, she had loved him unconditionally, she had given him a son and now he threatened to take her precious boy away from her, her only anchor to the world, she could face the worlds wrath alone but she wouldn't be able to survive a life without her son. She ran away carrying her son, his weight slowing her down but didn't stop for a moment to rest till she reached her room and locked the doors with multiple locking spells which she knew he could break if he wanted to, she set her son down on the bed and sobbed, letting out her sorrow and frustration, her tears wetting her son's hair as she hugged him tightly making sure she wouldn't ever let him go.

He had gotten his revenge, she was crying and was in terrible anguish he knew, but he wasn't feeling exhilaration, he felt empty which somehow border lined to Guilty

A/n : r&r... do you like the pace at which the story is moving? and i am sure people who feel guilty for their actions are redeemable, leme know your thoughts on the matter.


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